CONFLICT OF INTEREST 2

About 5 years ago I designed a housing estate in Gorton, but due to financial constraints, only part of the site was built. There is now more money coming back to the construction industry, so the second phase of the project is underway. I’m really proud to drive by the site and see something that I designed being used, lived in and enjoyed.

New houses on Clowes Street

New flats on Hyde Road

The row of shops in the picture, right, are one of the few remnants of the old council estate that once stood here. Most of the old houses are gone, leaving an overgrown wasteland. There are one or two rows of houses remaining, the only streets with the signs still on, and not cordoned off by Heras fencing. Within these abandoned roads, a single house is still inhabited, unlike its neighbours all boarded up with notices on the front door stating that everything of value has been removed from inside. The residents are not ready to move on yet.

Last one standing.

Impressively enough, some of these shops are still open. Just not today.

These streets used to be a filming location. Shameless was shot here, and the old homes with the ginnels and balconies of a 1960s housing estate formed the backdrop for a neighbourhood in decline. It was decided that this neighbourhood needed gentrifying in real life, and that’s where my hard work came in. We lose a landmark and gain a new home.

I Am A Science Lady is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk.